The community never looked so nice as it does in 2023. Ouachita Green, their partners and volunteers intended to clean the place up and make it nice. They've removed thousands of pounds of litter. But what they did is so much more than that.
I have my own working definition
of art. Creating something of value from nothing is art. So, by my definition
businesses producing a product from scratch is art.
Let me show you something.
The community has never been
cleaner, ever. We have been given back our geography as a clean canvass for businesses
to grow and job creation. By my definition this is art. Sculptures now dot our landscape with a splash of color
from the murals. Then there are all the cultural happenings and traditions. Our
recreational opportunities on the canvass are expanding. The private sector
continues to invest in our community. Local governments are making significant
headway on infrastructure improvements. Environmental damage from household
hazardous waste is continually being mitigated.
In this instance, the added value
may have exceeded the goal. What an awesome return on investment. Thank you to
Ouachita Green, Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful, Keep Monroe Beautiful, Keep
West Monroe Beautiful, Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful.
Tom M.